We totally messed up in the 1800s! Why didn't we campaign to have polygamy become the standard of marriage for all Americans? I mean that was the type of marriage currently ordained of Heavenly Father- we should have put our resources into that instead of the Nauvoo Temple- I mean come on didn't we care about the family salvation of others at that point??
The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy aname, and fools shall have thee in bderision, and hell shall rage against thee; While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek acounsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand. And thy apeople shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors. And although their influence shall cast thee into trouble, and into bars and walls, thou shalt be had in ahonor; and but for a small bmoment and thy voice shall be more terrible in the midst of thine enemies than the fierce clion, because of thy righteousness; and thy God shall stand by thee forever and ever. If thou art called to pass through atribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in bperils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea; If thou art aaccused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can't you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to bprison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like cwolves for the blood of the lamb; And if thou shouldst be cast into the apit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the bdeep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to chedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of dhell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee eexperience, and shall be for thy good. The aSon of Man hath bdescended below them all. Art thou greater than he? Therefore, ahold on thy way, and the priesthood shall bremain with thee; for their cbounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy ddays are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, efear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.
D&C 122
It hurts me to see people leaving, turning their backs on, being pushed away, and hating something as wonderful as the church. For despite its flaws, imperfections, and its human membership, this is the Lord's Church. Through it we can have guidance, strength, and the highest blessings available on earth. Christ suffered all of our pain and more pain than we can ever imagine, so it breaks my heart that it is suffering that is causing people to leave the church He established to succor us on this hard road.
In discussing the Savior's life Nephi states, "Behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks" (2 Nephi 25:12). The Lord was persecuted by His own people because of their iniquities and pride. They only saw the Lord's laws in black and white and could not accept changes, liberal changes, to the traditions of their fathers. They could not accept the idea that all men could be saved, that the Lord loved those who did not keep His commandments as much as He loved those who did. Isn't that why the ssa members of the church and ssa couples outside of the church are being persecuted? As a church are we too hard in our hearts, only focusing on the letter of the law and not the Spirit of Christ? I believe in the Gospel, the commandments, and the Family Proclamation (it says that marriage between a man and woman is ordained of the Lord, not that marriage is only between a man and a woman). I'm not expecting those laws to change while we are on earth, but even in following and staying in the church there is nothing is Christ's doctrine that allows us to judge, condemn, persecute, or hate those who struggle and those who don't keep all the commandments.
Our church was not always like this. W.W. Phelps signed a letter that condemned the church members is Missouri and brought them copious difficulties. Several years later the Saints in Nauvoo opened their arms in forgiveness and welcomed him back to the fold. Now we cannot even extend love to those who do us no harm, but leave the church for their own reasons or choose to forsake certain commandments that affect no other members.
In defense and because my own bias desire to stay committed to a truth I have a testimony of, I think we need to forgive those who we are angry at for their own close-mindedness. We aren't perfect and we can't expect our leaders to be- even Joseph Smith made mistakes and through his actions 116 pages of the Book of Mormon were lost. But he was still a prophet of the Lord and he did much good in helping us understand the Lord's love and the Lord's glorious plan for us. We shouldn't judge the bigotry and stupidity of some of our leaders and fellow saints, yes we should try to educate them, but we shouldn't forsake the Gospel or the church because of them. And think of what would happen to the church if only the persecutors were left as members!
This week in Sacrament someone spoke on Thanksgiving (not sure why we are focusing on a holiday that celebrates the murder and destruction of hundreds of Native Americans, but that is beside the point). He said that if we are grateful for our blessings it is easier for us to hold to the iron rod. I think it is important for us to hold to the rod, and if we see the love of the Lord that is manifest through His blessing, we are more able to stay on the path He has carved for us. 2 Nephi 25: 25-27 testifies the Law of Moses was a preparatory law. We might not understand what this law is preparing us for, but we know of the Lord's love and His plan for our salvation and eternal life, so it must be preparing us for something wonderful. Still, because it is preparatory we might not understand the reasoning behind it, and perhaps like the first law, this too will change once we are prepared.
All that being said, life decisions are based on personal situations and individual relationships with the Savior. I feel that in my easy life, without many of the great struggles all of you face, my place is to stay in the church committed to the covenants I've made. I know and testify that here and in the end all those who follow the commandments and serve the Lord with pure intent will be abundantly blessed. All the sacrifices that are made to follow the Lord and keep all his commandments will be made up. Yet in my heart I've received that beautiful peace from the still small voice and I know salvation will come to those who must leave. Those who have left to form same-sex relationships and families, the innocent ones who were murdered by persecution and misunderstanding to the point of suicide, the ones who may still leave or weave in and out of the church trying to balance their earthly selves with the Lord's standards. His love will not weave in and out of anyone's life though and I know this as surely as I know I live, as surely as I know He lives. I think there are great blessings in staying and in following all the commandments, but I do NOT think there is damnation for living outside of the Gospel.
There are certain desires I have that I don't give in to. There is a faith in me that believes in the commandments and the peace, blessings, and safety that comes by following them. I know the truth of the scriptures, which means I do believe in punishment and justice for our acts of rebellion against the truths that we know, whether or not we agree with the laws and regardless of the difficulty we have in obeying them. I also believe in mercy, and I think in the Lord's infinite wisdom His mercy will balance with true justice and He will look at our hearts, the reasons behind our actions, and the weight we've had to carry.
The more sacrifices we make here the greater blessing we will have in the next life because everything will be made up to us and restored- we will have more than we will ever have to sacrifice. "For after much tribulation [which usually happens when we sacrifice] come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory" (D&C 58:4).
But, I think there are many ways to sacrifice. With my whole soul I believe that the same-sex-attracted members who marry the opposite sex will be blessed with complete attraction and desire for their spouse in the next life. I believe that after this life all things will make sense and we will be gods and we will fully understand our divinity, nature, and power. I also think that those who leave the church, the ssa who choose same-sex companionships also sacrifice. They sacrifice certainty, family, and the church that has surrounded them since birth. They sacrifice one type of love and happiness for a different type of love and happiness.
And what about cleanliness, repentance, and the ability to dwell with the Lord through keeping His commandments? Perhaps rectification is not how it's often perceived. The ability to dwell with our Heavenly Father is in our desire to dwell with Him- the love, cleanliness, and purity of our hearts and our motives. No one, save Christ, can keep all the commandments so our knowledge, intent, temptation, and remorse are all weighed in at our judgment. I honestly believe that even Hitler can be exalted. Only imagine the hell he will feel when he is faced with the seven million innocent children of the Lord he murdered. How long will his own remorse drag and bind his soul in hell?
And how about not being tempted above that which we are able to handle? Is earthly love, companionship, and family a temptation that is greater than we can handle? Or is it a choice to live one way and accept the trials, blessings, sorrows, and joys that come with that choice? Is not being sealed to an eternal family unit the consequence for having relationships with the same sex? Is it that in the next life one will no longer have attraction and desire for his/her same-sex companion and only be left with plutonic love for the partner? Is it being together as a family and just not being sealed in the way the Lord intended mankind to be sealed? As salvation is an individual matter and exaltation is a family matter, I can see how family sealings create a string, a binding, a pulling, and a yearning that can stretch through generations to bring all mankind to exaltation. I can see the peace and wonder of His plan. Now, I might be struck down for being so sacrilegious perhaps, but what if the many Christlike traits that gay men are blessed with, that many straight men aren't blessed with, leave gay men less dependent on a family string for salvation? They are more able to love with pure intentions and granted with more Christlike attributes than the men who need wives and families to reach the progression and position for salvation. (And that is a thought and obviously not talking about ALL gay men or ALL straight men). Even if exaltation is a family matter, there must be more because I know that those who have not been sealed in the Temple, those with alternative earthly families, and those without earthly families, and those with honestly evil family members, aren't left out of Christ's loving arms.
And for those who live in families structured the way Heavenly Father ordained them to be, those who sacrifice their earthly selves for their divinity, all they sacrifice will be made up and their blessings of peace, pleasure, and happiness will be unimaginably glorious. I think their joy here will also be great, but different from the happiness those living based on their earthly desires experience.
Back in my box of strict Gospel standards and black and white laws I can't help but feel that the Gospel, not the idiotic and bigoted members and leaders of the church, brings greater peace and joy and less sorrow and pain here and after. We grow through sacrifices and trails and so those who face more here, those who give up more of their earthly selves here, have less growing to do in the next world. Those who live outside the Lord's commandments will have more growth, learning, and preparation to go through in the next life before they are exalted. Maybe this is what damnation is, the learning period, because quite frankly for a lot of my growth I've definitely been in hell. Perhaps the more refined and Christlike we become through our earthly hell the less painful growth we will have to go through in the next world. And I think those who love the church and act on homosexuality and choose those relationships have their own growth, trials, sacrifices, and preparation here. What will rectification be? I don't know- but I know it will be just in all ways- for those who sacrifice, those who hurt, those who stay, those who leave.
